President Sheinbaum launches $20 billion plan to clean Atoyac, Lerma‑Santiago and Tula rivers

The Mexican federal government, led by President Claudia Sheinbaum, announced a 20 billion‑peso program to sanitize and restore the Atoyac, Lerma‑Santiago and Tula river basins. The investment, of which 2.5 billion pesos have already been spent for 2025‑2026, will fund 93 coordinated projects, including the construction of ten new water‑treatment plants, rehabilitation of 23 existing ones, installation of 94 km of collectors, wetlands for biological treatment, extensive reforestation, desazolve of riverbeds and the creation of public parks. The plan targets 25 million people across ten states and 61 municipalities. Monitoring will be enhanced with eight automatic stations and a national water‑watch centre. Parallel enforcement actions have inspected nearly 300 industrial facilities, issuing 56 million pesos in fines and eight closures for non‑compliant discharges. A legislative initiative in Puebla also seeks to embed Atoyac and the Valsequillo reservoir rescue into the state constitution, reinforcing the federal effort. The program aims to improve water quality, protect ecosystems, reduce flood risk and reconnect communities with their rivers.